A pilot study to determine, the effect of tazarotene gel 0.1% on steroid-induced epidermal atrophy

Background Repeated applications of a corticosteroid can induce epidermal a trophy. This study was performed to investigate whether the adjunctive use of tazarotene gel 0.1% might help to minimize the development of steroid-in duced epidermal atrophy. Methods Each of 24 healthy volunteers received the following six treatments (applied 6 days per week for 4 weeks), which were randomized to each of si x sites on their forearms: no treatment, tazarotene vehicle, tazarotene veh icle+tazarotene, gel 0.1%, diflorasone diacetate 0.05% ointment, diflorason e diacetate 0.05% ointment+tazarotene vehicle, or diflorasone diacetate 0.0 5% ointment+tazarotene get 0.1%. Results The mean epidermal thickness was increased by 20% (NS) and 62% (P l ess than or equal to 0.0005) after applications of tazarotene vehicle and t azarotene gel 0.1%, respectively. Application of diflorasone, diacetate red uced the mean epidermal thickness by 43% (P less than or equal to 0.0005). Concomitant application of tazarotene gel 0.1% with diflorasone diacetate d id not entirely prevent atrophy, but was shown to ameliorate 37% of the epi dermal atrophy induced by diflorasone diacetate alone (P less than or equal to 0.003 compared with steroid monotherapy). Conclusions Tazarotene gel 0.1% significantly reduces epidermal atrophy Ind uced by diflorasone diacetate 0.05% ointment.